Grand Duke Leopold of Baden

Grand Duke Leopold of Baden

Downfall of the Grand Duke Leopold of Baden

Ship data flag  Prussia Ship type Smooth deck steamer for people and goods home port Cologne Owner Prussian-Rhenish Steamship Company Shipping company PRDG Shipyard Jacobi, Haniel & Huyssen , Ruhrort Build number 5 building-costs 63,700 thalers Order 1835 Launch June 1836 takeover August 1837 Commissioning August 21, 1837 Decommissioning December 7, 1849, then workshop ship Whereabouts unknown

Ship dimensions and crew length 50.33 m ( Lüa ) width Hull: 5.79 m over wheel arches: 12.2 m Draft Max. 1.27 m displacement 260 tons empty

Machine system machine Two-cylinder compound steam engine indicated performance 300 hp (221 kW) propeller 2 × paddle wheels with 14 paddles, ∅ 4.50 m

Transport capacities Permitted number of passengers 550

The Grand Duke Leopold von Baden was the first ship of the " Preußisch -Rheinische Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft" (PRDG) with iron frames and was put into service on August 10, 1837.

construction

The wooden hull was built with iron frames and designed as a smooth decker for the transport of people and goods. Below deck were the sailors' apartment and the forward cabin with a staircase leading to the deck. Behind it was the front goods room, followed by the boiler and engine room. In the aft ship were the aft cargo hold, a large cabin and toilets, as well as a staircase to the main deck. The stern was designed as a pavilion .

There were two masts with a loading boom on the fore and aft deck. The kitchen, crew quarters, toilets and storage rooms were housed in the superstructures of the wheel arches. The aft deck was provided with a sun sail and at the stern was the raised oar chair.

history

On August 10, 1837, the Grand Duke Leopold of Baden was transferred from the shipyard to Cologne . The commissioning took place on August 21 with a trip from Cologne to Mainz . This distance was covered for the first time in just 17.5 hours. The festive christening of the ship in Leopoldshafen took place on October 14, 1837 . The Grand Duchess Sophie von Baden was the godmother . The subsequent festival trip with around 150 people led, accompanied by the ships Kronprinz von Prussen and Stadt Frankfurt to Daxlanden and back to Leopoldshafen.

Incidents

On October 3, 1838, after a driving mistake, the ship hit a rock about a kilometer below Trechtingshausen in the ascent and hit a leak, whereupon the forecastle was flooded. The steamer Herzog von Nassau driving behind took over the cargo and the passengers. On October 8th the steamer was lifted, two bridge ships moored at the bow kept the ship buoyant. The steamer Concordia hauled the Leopold to the shipyard in Ruhrort for repairs . The ship was back in service on September 16. On October 23, 1839 there was a collision with the steamer Comet , which was also going to the valley, above Neuwied in the descent , whereby both ships were damaged.

During the civil revolution , the Leopold was temporarily confiscated by the Prussian government from March 1848 to the end of 1849 and used for military transports between Cologne and the Upper Rhine .

On October 20, 1843, collision with the steamer Queen between Gernsheim and Rheindürkheim in thick fog. The Leopold threatened to sink because of a large hole in the bow and was set aground on the bank. The Queen took over the cargo and the passengers. On November 2, the Leopold was able to continue on its own after sealing the leak. During a stop in Koblenz on November 6, press representatives were able to inspect the damage in the lower deck. Then the trip to the shipyard in Ruhrort took place. There the ship was repaired and at the same time lengthened by 6.10 m. On February 20, 1844, the steamer resumed regular service. On August 13, 1848, the Leopold hit a rock in thick fog near Assmannshausen , hit a leak and sank. The ship was lifted, but not rebuilt. After the boiler and machine system was expanded, it was used as a workshop ship in Cologne.

literature

• Georg Fischbach: The ships of the KD (a detailed list on over 1000 pages with many historical and current photos of all ships of the KD from 1826 to 2005). Publisher: Self-published, available from KD Cologne.